Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

John Updike's poem "A Vision" serves as both a satirical comment on the state of American literary criticism around 1960 and a humorous portrayal of prominent critics and writers of the time. Through his depiction of these literary figures and their prescriptions for American fiction, Updike critiques the prescriptive nature of literary criticism that seeks to dictate the direction and purpose of literature.

The poem opens by directly naming well-known figures in the literary world—Harvey Swados, Herbert Gold, Leslie Fiedler, Seymour Krim, Alfred Kazin, and Lionel Trilling. Each of these critics or writers is attributed a line that reflects a common critical stance towards American literature at the time: it needs to be "bold," full of "vim," and socially critical. These statements encapsulate the intense and often prescriptive dialogue surrounding the purpose and approach of American fiction during the mid-20th century, highlighting the pressures placed on writers to conform to certain thematic and stylistic standards.

By placing these figures in dialogue with one another, Updike captures a sense of the literary zeitgeist, wherein critics often overshadowed the actual literature with their loud, confident prescriptions. The use of direct speech creates a vivid reenactment of the intellectual atmosphere, characterized by fervent and sometimes competing visions for American literature.

The humor of the poem emerges in the transition from discussion to action, where these critics, having proclaimed what American fiction ought to do, then "took pen in hand" and produced works themselves. This shift is comical because it suggests a kind of hypocrisy or at least a blurring of the roles between critic and creator. They not only criticize but also contribute to the very corpus of literature they critique, and then they even arrange their works "on the shelves," as if curating their own contributions into the canon.

The conclusion of the poem, where "American Fiction wept, and gave thanks," personifies American fiction as a grateful, almost sentient entity that has been shaped and defined by these critical voices. This personification serves as a satirical jab at the notion that the essence and direction of American fiction could be so easily influenced or summarized by a few individuals' opinions, however influential they may be.

Overall, "A Vision" is a wry and incisive reflection on the literary culture of its time, poking fun at the sometimes pompous and overbearing nature of literary criticism. Updike's use of satire here serves not just to entertain but to question the impact and value of critical prescriptions in the creative process, suggesting a more complex relationship between the art of fiction and the discourse that surrounds it.

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